System for securing fabric to a quilting bar

ABSTRACT

A rail member having a slot disposed therein, and a slot member being provided for being disposed in the slot, wherein a material is disposed between the slot and the slot member such that sufficient tension is maintained between the slot member, the material, and the slot such that the material will not easily slide out of the slot while the material is being worked while being held securely for use on a quilting frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to attaching fabric to quilting frames.More specifically, the invention relates to a system for quickly andsecurely attaching single or multiple layers of fabric, batting or othermaterials to a quilting frame or other needlework frame or hoop, whereinthe system can be used to retro-fit exiting quilting frames, or beprovided as the primary attaching system of a new quilting frame orother needlework frame or hoop.

2. Description of Related Art

The state of the art in attaching fabric to quilting frames, otherneedlework frames and hoops is a relatively difficult system of rollingor wrapping fabric, batting, or some type of material (hereinafter to becollectively referred to as“material”onto two rolling bars or hoops(hereinafter referred to collectively as“bars”. The rolling bars areturned in opposite directions to create tension in the material so thatit can be worked on. The bars are generally going to be turned at leastonce so that the material is overlapping itself so that it won't comeoff of the bars. Tension is created on the material by providing somemeans of preventing the two bars from rotating once they have beenrotated sufficiently to remove any slack in the material.

An example of this prior art material mounting system can be seen, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,816, wherein a quilting machine isillustrated having a rail assembly. As shown in FIG. 1, the railassembly includes at least two bars 8 whereon the material is rolled,and the bars are then prevented from rolling and releasing tension onthe material by using ratchets 6 at the ends of the rails.

There are some difficulties inherent in the system used for holding thematerial on the rolling bars as will become apparent from the followingdescription. The material is first mounted on a first rolling bar byoverlapping the material upon itself by rotating the first rolling bar.

The next step is to mount the material to the second rolling bar.Consider the problem that arises when the material being mounted on thequilting frame is relatively wide. It is difficult to keep the materialfrom falling off a rail while simultaneously trying to rotate the railto try and get the material to overlap itself. Even when the material isnot relatively wide, it can still be a difficult task to get thematerial to overlap itself on the bar in an even manner. In other words,the material may slip on one end or even in the middle as the rail isrotated. The result is that the material will be crooked or havelocations where it is stretched tighter than others. The resultingproduct may have undesirable irregularities.

Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for more easilyattaching material, from a single layer to multiple layers, to a rollbar. It would also be an improvement over the state of the art toprovide a system that enables the tension on the material to be moreevenly controlled to thereby obtain a better finished product.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and methodfor attaching material to a quilting frame.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system andmethod for retro-fitting an existing quilting frame that uses a priorart method of attaching material to the quilting frame.

It is another object to provide a system and method for attachingmaterial to a quilting frame that enables even tension to be applied tothe material along a length where it is attached to the quilting frame.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a rail member havinga slot disposed therein, and a slot member being provided for beingdisposed in the slot, wherein material is disposed between the slot andthe slot member such that sufficient tension is maintained between theslot member, the material, and the slot such that the material will noteasily slide out of the slot.

In a first aspect of the invention, a slot is provided in a rail thatenables a slot member and material to be disposed therein.

In a second aspect of the invention, a cross-section of the slot and theslot member are formed to thereby facilitate capture of material in theslot.

In a third aspect of the invention, the slot member is rigid orflexible.

These and other objects, features, advantages and alternative aspects ofthe present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the artfrom a consideration of the following detailed description taken incombination with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a rail assembly from the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment that is made inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional close-up of a portion of FIG. 1 defined bycircle A.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a different embodimenthaving a slot that is an integral component of a rail.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of another embodiment wherea portion of the slot member is disposed outside of the slot.

FIG. 7 is cross-sectional perspective view of another embodiment whereinthe slot member is hollow for added flexibility and strength.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made to the drawings in which the various elementsof the present invention will be given numerical designations and inwhich the invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in theart to make and use the invention. It is to be understood that thefollowing description is only exemplary of the principles of the presentinvention, and should not be viewed as narrowing the claims whichfollow.

The presently preferred embodiment of the invention is comprised of twocomponents as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view ofthe present invention. The elements shown in FIG. 2 include a slot 10having a channel 18 that is formed along a length thereof (shown here inprofile only), and a slot member 12 disposed in the channel of the slot10. The slot 10 is shown attached to a rail 14. As an example only,three layers of material 20 that are being quilted are shown as beingdisposed between the slot 10 and the slot member 12.

In this embodiment, an underside 16 of the slot 10 is shown as having anarcuate surface to make it more versatile. Thus, the arcuate surface 16can be attached to a flat surface of the rail 14 as shown, but can alsobe attached to an arcuate surface of a different rail.

An important aspect of the present invention is to be able to securelyattach the slot 10 to any rail. This is because the present inventioncan be used to retro-fit an existing quilting frame, or it can bedesigned as the primary construction of a new rail. Furthermore, it ispossible to replace an existing rail of a quilting frame with a new railthat incorporates the present invention in its design as an integralelement.

FIG. 3 is provided as a close-up view of the present invention as shownin FIG. 2 and designated by the circle A. Note that FIG. 3 more readilyshows an adhesive material 22 disposed between the rail 14 and the slot10.

Any appropriate adhesive material 22 can be used, so long as the slot 10is securely attached to the rail 14. The adhesive material 22 canalready be attached to the slot 10 when the slot is being added to anexisting quilting frame. Thus, a non-stick strip of protective paperwill be removed from the adhesive material 22 that exposes an adhesivesurface thereof so that it can be attached to the rail 14.

Alternatively, the slot 10 may not have any pre-applied adhesivematerial 22. The adhesive material 22 may be a separate adhesive that isfirst applied to the rail 14, and then the slot is carefully disposed ontop of the adhesive material 22 to complete the application process.Thus, the method of attachment is not important so long as the slot issecurely coupled to the rail 14.

In another embodiment, the adhesive can be replaced by screws or nails.All that is important is that the slot 10 be securely coupled to therail 14. The advantage of using screws comes from the temporary natureof the attachment. Screws can be removed and the slot 10 taken off therail 14 if it is desirable to use the slot 10 on another system thatrequires quick, safe but temporary attachment of material.

FIG. 4 is provided as a perspective view of the slot 10, the slot member12, the rail 14, and the material 20 disposed between the slot and theslot member.

The slot 10 and the slot member 12 may be comprised of relatively rigidmaterial, or they may have some degree of flexibility. It is generallygoing to be the case that the slot 10 is made from a relatively rigidmaterial. However, it may facilitate attachment of the material 20within the slot 10 to make the slot member 12 relatively flexible. Inthis manner, a user would begin at a first end of the slot 10 and pushthe slot member 12 against the material 20 and into the slot. One handof the user is used to pull on the material 20 while the other hand isused to push and slide the slot member 12 into the slot 10 along thelength of the slot. The slot member 12 is thus simultaneously inside andoutside the slot 10. Experimentation has shown that a relativelyflexible slot member 12 facilitates the present invention.

It is another aspect of the invention that the slot member 12 may notonly be relatively flexible, but be comprised of a wide range ofmaterials including plastic, rubber, or foam. If foam is used, it muststill be sufficiently rigid to enable the slot member 12 to createsufficient tension within the slot 10 to securely hold the material 20.Thus, it is more likely that a rubber or rubber-like material is usedfor the slot member 12. This provides the advantages of not only beingrelatively flexible, but also provides some ability to grip the materialbecause of the tacky nature of some rubber and rubber-like materials.

Another aspect of the present invention is the cross-section formed bythe slot 10 and the slot member 12. In FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the slot 10 isshown as having a circular cross-section. Likewise, the slot member 12has a circular cross-section. However, the present invention includesother cross-sectional shapes. These shapes can be triangular, square,rectangular, or any other appropriate cross-sectional design.

FIG. 5 is provided to illustrate another aspect of the presentinvention. Specifically, a rail 30 is shown having an integral slotchannel 32 disposed therein, and a slot member 34 disposed within theslot channel. Thus, the slot channel 32 is not a retro-fit of anexisting rail, but is now manufactured as an integral component. In thisparticular embodiment, notice also that the cross-section of the slotchannel 32 and the slot member 34 is generally triangular. Because ofthe narrow opening 36 in the slot channel 32, the slot member 34 must bemanufactured of a foam or foam-like material, or the slot member mustslide into the slot from one end. It is more likely that the slot member34 is made from a foam-like material.

FIG. 6 is provided as another embodiment of the present invention. Thisembodiment illustrates yet another aspect of the present invention. Arail 40 includes an integral slot channel 42, and shows a slot member44. The slot member 44 is different from previous designs that weredisposed entirely within a slot. In this embodiment, the slot member 44includes a component 46 that is disposed outside of the slot channel 42.This design has the advantage of providing additional tension on thematerial that is disposed between the slot channel 42 and the slotmember 44 by providing additional surface area on the slot member thatwill make contact with the material.

Notice also that the slot member 44 now includes a gap 48 in the portionof the slot member that is disposed within the slot channel 42. The gap48 enables the slot member 44 to be more easily compressed. Thiscompression enables the slot member 44 to be more easily inserted intothe slot channel 42, especially if the slot member 44 is not foam orfoam-like material, but a more rigid but still flexible rubber orrubber-like material.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to the nature of theslot member. As shown in FIG. 7, the slot member 50 can also be a hollowstructure such as a tube shown here, thereby enabling the slot member tobe very flexible. However, the hollow cross-section of the slot memberdoes not need to be circular as shown here, but any hollow shape.

In a related aspect, several different slot members of various diameterscan be used with a single slot. The various diameters enable a user toattach various numbers of layers and/or thicknesses of material to aslot. The user simply chooses the appropriate diameter slot member thatcan fit snugly into the slot with the selected material.

Another aspect of the present invention is the ability to quickly,securely and safely fasten material for other purposes. For example,consider a quilt hanging system. Typically, quilts are hung on wallsusing various attachment systems, some of which can damage the material.Damaging a quilt or other fabric is highly undesirable, especially whenthe quilt or material is an antique, and needs to be handled gently inorder to preserve the quilt and its value. A related application is inany type of fabric suspension system, including tents and other similarsystems.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentinvention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may bedevised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention. The appended claims are intended tocover such modifications and arrangements.

1. A system for attaching material to a quilting frame, said systemcomprised of: a slot having a channel for receiving material; and a slotmember that is slightly smaller than the slot channel such that the slotmember can be disposed within the slot, wherein material is disposedwithin the slot channel between the slot channel and the slot member. 2.The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the slot channel forms across-sectional area that is selected from the group of cross-sectionalareas comprised of a circle, an oval, a triangle, a square, a rectangle,and any appropriate polygon.
 3. The system as defined in claim 1 whereinthe slot member forms a cross-sectional area that is selected from thegroup of cross-sectional areas comprised of a circle, an oval, atriangle, a square, a rectangle, and any appropriate polygon.
 4. Thesystem as defined in claim 1 wherein the slot member is a solidstructure.
 5. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the slot memberis flexible.
 6. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the slot memberis a hollow structure.
 7. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein theslot member is selected from the group of materials comprised ofcompressible foam, foam-like material, rubber, and rubber-like material.8. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the system is furthercomprised of an adhesive, wherein the adhesive is coupled to anattaching surface of the slot.
 9. The system as defined in claim 8wherein the attaching surface of the slot is selected from the group ofattaching surfaces including a flat surface and an arcuate surface, tothereby enhance contact between the slot attaching surface and a rail ofa quilting machine.
 10. The system as defined in claim 9 wherein thesystem is further comprised of a rail, wherein the slot is coupled tothe rail at the attaching surface.
 11. The system as defined in claim 1wherein the slot is made from a rigid material.
 12. The system asdefined in claim 1 wherein the slot is formed as an integral elementwithin a rail of a quilting machine.
 13. The system as defined in claim1 wherein the system is further comprised of a plurality of screws forattaching the slot to an object to which the material is to be attached.14. A method for attaching material to a quilting frame, said methodcomprising the steps of: (1) providing a slot having a channel forreceiving material, and a slot member that is slightly smaller than theslot channel such that the slot member can be disposed within the slot;(2) placing material over the slot channel; (3) placing the slot memberover the material; and (4) pushing the slot member into the slot channelalong a length thereof such that the material is disposed between theslot channel and the slot member and held in place by a friction fit.15. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein the method furthercomprises the step of selecting the slot channel to have across-sectional area that is selected from the group of cross-sectionalareas comprised of a circle, an oval, a triangle, a square, a rectangle,and any appropriate polygon.
 16. The method as defined in claim 14wherein the method further comprises the step of selecting the slotmember to have a cross-sectional area that is selected from the group ofcross-sectional areas comprised of a circle, an oval, a triangle, asquare, a rectangle, and any appropriate polygon.
 17. The method asdefined in claim 14 wherein method further comprises the step of makingthe slot member as a solid structure.
 18. The method as defined in claim14 wherein the method further comprises the step of making the slotmember a flexible structure.
 19. The method as defined in claim 14wherein the method further comprises the step of making the slot membera hollow structure.
 20. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein themethod further comprises the step of selecting the slot member from thegroup of materials comprised of compressible foam, foam-like material,rubber, and rubber-like material.
 21. The method as defined in claim 14wherein the method further comprises the step of providing an adhesive,wherein the adhesive is coupled to an attaching surface of the slot. 22.The method as defined in claim 21 wherein the method further comprisesthe step of selecting an attaching surface of the slot from the group ofattaching surfaces including a flat surface and an arcuate surface, tothereby enhance contact between the slot attaching surface and a rail ofa quilting machine.
 23. The method as defined in claim 22 wherein themethod further comprises the step of providing a rail, wherein the slotis coupled to the rail at the attaching surface.
 24. The method asdefined in claim 14 wherein the method further comprises the step ofmanufacturing the slot from a rigid material.
 25. The method as definedin claim 14 wherein the method further comprises the step of forming theslot as an integral element within a rail of a quilting machine.
 26. Themethod as defined in claim 14 wherein the method is further comprised ofthe step of attaching the slot to an object using a temporary attachmentsystem, such that the slot can be moved to a different object whendesired.
 27. The method as defined in claim 26 wherein the methodfurther comprises the step of using a plurality of screws as thetemporary attachment system.